“Any sufficiently advanced technology is indistinguishable from magic.” Arthur C. Clarke’s Third Law

In 1968, Clarke and Stanley Kubrick finally finished 2001: A Space Odyssey – the book, and the film. It would change the way the world looked at evolution and ethics; artificial- and extra-terrestrial life. Religion and genesis.

But those are meaty topics that I couldn’t hope to cover in a simple blog entry. Instead, I want to talk about all of them combined,magic. Events that leave you so mystified, so jaw-droppingly nonplussed that you can only call out in disbelief that’s impossible! Perhaps you mumble it incredulously, wiping away an emotional tear, your raw nerves leaving you overwhelmed. It’s the same thing, though, magic: the impossible, in the blink of an eye, becoming possible.

When magic occurs, it’s like the world has been re-written. You have one moment in time, the past, where it seems impossible. Snap. You’re in the future, impossibility split asunder and replaced with a new reality. Magic occurred before your very eyes. The world changed around you. The flat line blips and shows a pulse. The Great Wall of China disappears. Poof.

And that’s all magic is, whether it’s performed by Harry Potter or Gandalf, a heroic doctor or David Copperfield. Now, the fun bit, and the tie-in to religious ‘miracles’ — magic is based on what we, by consensus agreement, deems impossible. We agree that it’s impossible for a man to disappear. We agree that, really, you shouldn’t be able to step through a plate glass window.

Once upon a time we agreed that being chained and helplessly dumped, submerged in a tank of water spelled certain death. And then Harry Houdini did it, and it wasn’t quite so magical any more; it’s only magic once, afterward it simply becomes a talking point, a fantastic improbability. The magician moves us from an impossible past, to a future full of possibilities where his ‘magic’ continues to occur around us, unabated. The cat’s out of the bag. Pandora’s can of worms hasn’t just been opened — it lies broken upon the floor, exposed, the world looking on in wonder — so that’s how it’s done! – our decision of what constitutes reality is rewritten in that moment. Magic becomes mundane.

It’s by this logic, sadly, that you disprove the existence of magic. The last 200 years have more than adequately proven that declaring something ‘impossible’ is stupid and counterintuitive. It’s not impossible, someone just hasn’t done it yet! It’s not a miracle, it’s just utilising mechanics that you didn’t know existed. Perhaps someone close to Jesus invented the sterile bandage and handed one to Our Lord — ‘Here, try this, mate’ — maybe he didn’t actually cure people with the power of God.

That’s what Arthur C. Clarke’s Third Law is all about. Technology — a sterile bandage — is magic. Magic changes history, redefining our universal axioms, redeclaring what can and can’t be done. The impossible, as the cliche goes, becomes possible. Stone Henge, the Great Pyramids, the Eiffel Tower — pure impossibilities, paper-only pipe dreams, fabrications only extant in the minds of great thinkers until someone actually devised a way to make them. Technology allows engineers to transport ideas from the realm of fantasy to reality. Imagine bringing a Roman forward through time to modern-day and showing him a computer. Magus he would say. Magic.

It is for this reason that inventors and scientists belong in a higher echelon. Without them, we’d still be in sitting in a cave, lamenting the taste of raw meat.

So you would say that in the world of Harry Potter, it was wrong for the wizards to refer to what they were doing as magic because the spells had been done before? I wonder if perhaps what we call “magic” depends not only on whether it’s been done before but also on whether we think there is a rational scientific explanation for it; something is impossible until it happens, but it’s magic until we believe there is an explanation. Your argument in the “Harry Houdini” paragraph appears to assume that once “magic” has been performed, it lies exposed. But what if the performer of the magic has no explanation? Without a “so that’s how it’s done!” moment, the magic will not necessarily become mundane.

Today, we may not really know of anything that we don’t think can be explained by science. Such a thing may in fact not exist, but I’m not sure it’s a logical impossibility. What if I could wave my wand and make a regular pineapple start tap dancing, or turn a mouse into a horse? The second time I made a city appear out of nowhere, would it no longer seem magical? I suppose if I could do those things, scientists would get to work to find an explanation for them, but what if what they came up with was proof beyond a doubt that what I was doing was scientifically impossible (I mean, conservation of mass and stuff)? Might it then still be magic?

I guess what I’m saying is, define magic as that which defies science (and not just our present knowledge of science, but whatever the absolute truth of science in this universe is). You can’t disprove its existence scientifically because of its very definition. Can you disprove it logically? Would you declare such a thing impossible? “The last 200 years have more than adequately proven that declaring something ‘impossible’ is stupid and counterintuitive.”

I haven’t thought this through entirely, so maybe one can logically disprove the above definition of “magic”. In any case, you make an interesting argument. I particularly liked the part at the end about scientists belonging in a higher echelon

Sorry, still trying to wrap my head around my half-baked ideas of philosophy. Damn standing on soap boxes…

Well, I think Gandalf and Harry should refer to it as ‘fantastic manipulation of power’ rather than ‘magic’, but yes, you have a point — it doesn’t become mundane automatically. But, as history has shown, perhaps humans (the human brain?) instinctively reveres the magician (the inventor, the scientist). Even if Copperfield tells us how it’s done, we can still be amazed, because so few people could pull it off, but it’s not magic; not a miracle.

When something crosses over from the impossible to the possible, it doesn’t mean that an explanation is given automatically — God knows, phenomena are observed before they are explained! We still don’t know why or how many things occur, or continue to occur, but the fact that they DO, the fact that they are OBSERVED means that there IS an explanation waiting to be found.

When something becomes explicable, it loses its mystique. But yes, I agree, until an easily-explanation has been found, some magic still remains.

But, really, this idea is only half-baked, don’t try to dissect it too finely. These things need more than an hour or two in front of a keyboard

I like. Enjoyed. Agree. I think often the phrase ‘science just can’t explain it -yet-’ gets up people’s noses when really what we mean (saying this as a scientific minded person) is that our human system of knowledge can’t explain it yet. By our natures we are being that observe our environment (see, smell, touch, etc) and when our mere observations don’t yet come up with a rational answer it gets seen as magic.

Fortunately evolution in its most basic sense means our body of human knowledge grows and expands, that previously magic technology gets us further into space and deeper into the oceans. Alas, it does mean the death of magic – but only if you are unable to set aside disbelief once in a while to enjoy a flight of fantasy.

Magic as a philosophy/theory still exists as long as there are children (without full knowledge of how the world works), and adults happy to indulge their inner child once in a while. Otherwise how could we explain an entire series of adult-version Harry Potter books?

Otherwise how could we explain an entire series of adult-version Harry Potter books?
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Two words: Money Spinner. Most if not all of the ‘adult’ covers are £1 dearer than the ‘child’ covers for exactly the same book!

Well, indeed, Tina — magic will always exist, as long as we, just for a moment, agree that it’s impossible. You even brought in the kiddie thing — how everything seems rather shiny and magical back when we’re young, but how it inevitably changes as we grow older. (You might be able to spot the development of some Sebby philosophy here…)

I want to write a little on the human mind’s ability to rewrite reality seemingly at a whim; how, somehow, reality changes as our agreement of what constitute reality changes. Something that was a scourge upon humanity 200 years ago might today be something we love and cherish. (There’s a lot to be said about how organised religion forced our view of reality to change — suddenly, everything the Romans loved and reveled in became sin…! Just like that, reality changes.)

But, yes, as I was saying, I want to write about that, but not in a comment…

Miracle literally means ‘to wonder at’, or ‘wonderful’, Chown. If it induces wonder, it’s a miracle (and magic is indeed very close to miracles, if not the same, just without the religious connotations). Repeat something enough, and it becomes plain, mundane.

I’m sure the first 100 times or so that our grandparents turned on their TV they were struck dumb, utterly frackin’ amazed! It dies out, though. Perhaps it’s tied into our age and understanding of the universe. Perhaps it’s tied into our world view becoming more and more hampered and tinged with pain/sorrow.

I have this lovely innate ability where the more people that listen, the bolder and more embiggened I become. Be assured that my soap box will get taller, and even start to amplify, echo and resonate my voice.

Chown – not quite. The publisher’s greed was secondary. The primary reason was an existing adult market (which we know existed first because adults were reading and passing around the books before there were adult covers). That reason proves that some adults can enjoy magic. We agree in spirit.

We can definitely rewrite our reality. I would consider quantum theory when it was first proposed as evidence. A theory built entirely on something we cannot see and could not (at the time) prove? But now you’re going to have to define “reality”. Do you mean reality as in what is real, or reality as in what we know is real so far within human knowledge?

with all that science is and has done, i think there are vast more things to be discovered!! in the grand scheme of things, science has really only touched the surface; the tip of the iceberg! the world is flat, and then it’s round.

it’s like, when people thought a 4 minute mile was impossible, until roger bannister broke the record in under 4 minutes… and soon others followed suit and broke the 4 minute mile right behind him! once someone has done something; set the bar, others will follow. before the bar is set, it is deemed “impossible”. goes to show the power of mind and suggestion!!

Seb – I wasn’t referring to the dictionary definition of miracle, I was musing out loud about what it means to an individual.

Tina – In reality I know publisher greed was secondary. The reference to the double covers was merely a personal bugbear – as was the whole media hype around the notion that adults were reading ‘children’s’ books (that was a big bugbear of mine at the time!). Just because a protagonist is a child or teenager it doesn’t mean it’s solely for children – gah! – If I start on that rant, I’ll be here for ages, when there’s no need because I’m sure anyone reading this will already appreciate what I’m saying!

If you adhere to the theory of the Big Bang (there are other theories) then there isn’t anything before the bang, because there’s no “before”. Spacetime didn’t exist before the big bang (time doesn’t exist on its own).

I’m perfectly happy being a (technical) grown up and still believing in magic & miracles. A friend of mine I just spent the weekend with I totally and completely admire because… I guess you could say, despite her age & experience, even if she’s seen the trick 1,000 times or knows 1,000 people have seen it/had it happen to them beforehand, she always seems to appreciate it like it was the time it has ever happened in the history of the world.

This is why she’s my #1 invite to Disneyland.

Also – thoroughly believe people who can make the computer do pretty things are warlocks. And I am in no way speaking metaphorically.

Sidenote – I just got an invitation to go see a performance at this place – http://www.magiccastle.com/ . going to try to be illogical.

I think that’s because of all the weird faces he would make as he looked into the camera, Chele. I thought he was a bit odd, too… ‘He’s a Jew, like you, Seb’ my mum would say… didn’t make it any better…

Many people are still like that, re: computers, Muppet. A lot about them is still so unknown. Most just have a box, under their desk, and would rather not question what goes on inside that BOX OF MAGIC! (Or demons, if you’re of the religious persuasion)

Being able to appreciate magic is perhaps different from ‘OMG, THAT’S AMAZING!’ I still love watching magic and showmanship (which is what most of it is), but from the scientist’s perspective. I want to know HOW and WHY it’s done. I’m still just as amazed, just not in the whole overwhelming-I’ve-just-had-a-God-moment kind of way

I love to understand, to be allowed to explore and learn…and it makes everything so much more beautiful and amazing. The pyramids at sunset no doubt, are no less beautiful just because we know how to build them and that the sun is a star. I think they’d be more beautiful knowing that.

Of course, I’ve never even been to Africa so how would I know?

I remember one of my first science lessons, we had to draw a fern. We learnt about fractals. It seemed so fantastical, wonderful, it still does. I also remember seeing clouds from an aeroplane. I used to be able to name all the types from the ground, this made them more amazing. Even if I did understand them better. Hardly groundbreaking, but I hope you get my point.

After thinking about it for a while I started to wonder why science and religion need to be so at odds with eachother. What most people don’t realize is that magic is in everything in one way or another and its such a broad and hard to define subject that it will never be widely accepted, at least not in our life time. Your post does help to try to pull it all together.

It starts to pull it all together because I am trying to do the same in my own head!

I am trying to delineate between science (proven to be true) and religion (yet-to-be-explained, magic). Obviously as we move more towards understanding our world, and forms of energy, we might begin to understand what religion ‘is’. (It’s so intangible nowadays. It’s so hard to GET some Christianity… it’s always out of your reach, until you die and go to Heaven/Hell of course!)

Sorry, rambling a little. You can see why science is at odds with religion — but religion needs to come around to science sooner rather than later. Science will win out, I think.